The Robbery
by Dr. Michaela Quinn
Summary: Havoc reaks Colorado Springs when a robbery injures Loren and 9 year old Brian while Doctor Mike and Reverend Johnson are out of town
1. Rev Johnson & Michaela leave

Horace walked across the way from the telegraph office to the clinic. He opened the door to see Michaela, Sully and Brian in the clinic.

"Doctor Mike? You got a telegram." Horace said. He handed the paper to her. She looked down at it.

"Dr. Quinn, we have heard that you have experience with Indian remedies, and request you to come help with the outbreak of a mysterious epidemic in Indiana." Michaela read. Then she looked up at Sully. "I have to go."

"Michaela, you can't." Sully said.

"They need my help Sully." Michaela stated.

"You can't go alone." Sully protested.

"I don't plan to. I will talk to Reverend Johnson about going with me." Michaela replied and looked up at Horace. "Wire them back and tell them I'll leave on the next train."

"That's only an hour Ma." Brian said. Michaela looked at him.

"Then I better go talk to Reverend Johnson, shouldn't I?" Michaela walked out of the clinic and over to the church. Reverend Johnson stepped out of the church just a few moments before Michaela reached him.

"Dr. Quinn." He said with a smile.

"Reverend, I'm here because I need you to go to Indiana with me. I received a telegram about some place needing medical assistance and was wondering if you would go with me. The train leaves in about an hour or so." Michaela stated.

"Doctor Quinn, I can't leave the church or the school for that long. Theresa may need my help with supervising the students." Reverend Johnson replied.

"It will be okay Reverend. We'll be back before anything can happen." Michaela said. Reverend Johnson sighed.

"Well, I never pass up an opportunity to speak to people about the Lord. I'll go." Reverend Johnson said. Michaela smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." She walked back down to the clinic. When she walked in the door Sully stood up.

"What's going on?" Sully asked.

"The Reverend and I are leaving on the next train. I need to get together my medical bag." Michaela responded.

"It's already at the house Ma. It's not here." Brian replied. Michaela looked at him and hugged him.

"Thank you Brian." Michaela said with a nod.

"So you're really going?" Sully asked.

"These people need me Sully. I have to go. If I can save one life it's important to me." Michaela said.

"What about Brian?" Sully asked. Michaela smiled.

"You and Matthew can take care of him while I'm gone. It won't be very long, I promise Brian." Michaela looked down at him. A little while later, Michaela and Reverend Johnson were boarding the train to head to Indiana.

"Be careful." Sully said to them.

"I'll protect her, Sully." Reverend Johnson responded. Sully nodded. Michaela and Reverend Johnson sat down in a train car; Sully and Brian watched the train pull away from the station.


	2. Loren's Store is Robbed

After school the next day, Brian walked into Loren Bray's store.

"Brian, what are you doing here? Run on home." Loren said.

"I can't. Ma's not home and Sully is working on the reservation with Cloud Dancing today." Brian replied.

"Just stay out of the way I guess." Loren responded. Dorothy walked into the store.

"Brian, your Ma asked me to watch you while Sully is out with Cloud Dancing. Come to the Gazette with me." Dorothy said. She and Brian walked out of Loren's store and over to the Gazette. Dorothy sat down and looked at Brian. "How do you feel about your Ma being in Indiana?"

"It's okay. She said she'd be back shortly." Brian said. Dorothy nodded.

"She will be too Brian." Dorothy stated.

"Thanks Miss Dorothy." Brian responded and walked outside. There was a commotion at Loren's store. Brain ran over just soon enough to hear them hollering.

"I told you, you're not taking anything out of this store unless you pay for it! No credit in my store." Loren hollered. A man pulled out a gun and shot Loren. The men didn't see Brian and he hit the ground.

"Ow!" Brian grunted. The man jumped up and left Brian on the porch. He laid there with a sharp pain running through his body. Grace walked up to Loren's store.

"Brian!" Grace exclaimed. She ran to help him up, but couldn't do it alone. "I'll be back Brian. Don't move." Grace rushed towards Robert E. "Robert E!" Grace gasped. Robert E. looked at her.

"What's the matter Grace?" Robert E. asked her.

"It's Brian. He's on the ground by Loren Bray's store." Grace responded. They both went to find Brian. When they got to the store Brian was still lying there. Grace and Robert E. helped him up.

"Thanks. But go help Mr. Bray. He was shot. I think he's behind the counter. Just then, Jake, Hank and Matthew walked up to the store. They went in. Hank and Jake picked up Loren.

"Let's get him to the clinic." Hank said.

"You can't. Ma's not here. She and Reverend Johnson left yesterday for Indiana." Brian stated.

"What are we supposed to do? Let him bleed to death?' Jake asked loudly.

"Jake. That's enough. We'll take them both to the clinic and watch them carefully." Matthew stated.

"But Matthew, what will happen without Ma?" Brian asked.

"Mr. Bray will be fine Brian. So will you." Matthew replied. "Can you walk?" Brian nodded no. Matthew helped him to the clinic.


	3. Doctorless Care of Brian & Loren

**A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated this story….**

After Grace, Robert E, Hank, Jake and Matthew got Brian and Loren into the clinic Jake called a town meeting at the church. When everybody made it to the church Jake started talking.

"We can't just let people break into our town and hurt others and get away with it!" Jake exclaimed.

"What are we going to do for a doctor? Michaela isn't here." Dorothy said over the commotion of the people. "The two people we should be the most worried about right now is Brian and Loren." Jake walked up to right in front of her.

"Dorothy's right! We need to get these guys because they hurt two innocents when we had no doctor in town!" Jake hollered.

"I say we go take 'em down!" Hank yelled as he stood up. Sully stood up as well and turned to face Hank.

"Hank, I am just as upset about this as you are; but we can't be hasty about it." Sully said.

"You stay out of this! If I wanna go attack somebody I will." Hank stated.

"Hank, that's my son and father in law that were hurt. If there is anybody who wants to go hurt them more than anybody it's me. But we just can't do that!" Sully hollered.

"Well you don't have to go." Jake said. "Who all wants to go with us?" Matthew is the only man to stand up. Sully saw him standing.

"Matthew?" Sully asked.

"He's my brother Sully." Matthew said facing forward, not looking at him.

"Let's go." Jake said walking through the aisle. Jake, Hank and Matthew walked out of the church.

[

Later on, Sully, Dorothy, and Grace were sitting in Brian's room with him. He woke up.

"Sully?" Brian asked. Sully walked over to him.

"I'm right here Brian." Sully said.

"Am I going to die? Is Mr. Bray going to die?" Brian asked.

"Oh Brian. You aren't going to die. Loren isn't going to die." Dorothy said putting her hand on his wrist.

"But there isn't a doctor in Colorado Springs right now. We won't even know what's wrong with me and Mr. Bray until Ma gets back with Reverend Johnson." Brian said.

"Brian, I think you need some time to rest alone. We've been up here with you for an awfully long time." Grace said. "I'm going to head back to the café and leave Dorothy and Sully watching over you is that okay?" Brian nodded.

"Go ahead Grace. Thank you for coming over here to be with me." Brian said. Grace hugged him.

"It was no big deal Brian. I just wanted to bring you some soup over and then see how you were doing. I'll be back later on." Grace said and walked out of the room. Dorothy and Sully followed her out the door.

"Thanks for bringing the soup over Grace." Sully said. Grace nodded.

"It's no problem Sully. I have raised Brian along with Dr. Mike and the Widow Cooper his whole life. I want to see how he's doing." Grace responded. "Well, I do need to get back to the café." Grace walked away. Dorothy walked to the front of the clinic.

"Sully?" Dorothy asked. Sully walked over to her.

"Yes Dorothy." Sully stated. Horace walked into the clinic to see Brian. He stood in the doorway.

"I think we do need to find a doctor. I think Brian is right. We don't know what could be wrong with him and Loren. They could get very sick before we get a doctor here to examine them." Dorothy said.

"What should we do? We can't get Michaela to come home. The epidemic in Indiana and all." Sully replied.

"Oh, I'm not asking you to do that. I'm not sure if Brian or Loren would make it waiting for her anyway. But if something doesn't get done we may lose both of them." Dorothy stated. Sully crossed his arms.

"Then we will have to do something quickly." Sully replied. Horace slipped out without saying anything or even being seen by Sully and Dorothy.


	4. Jake Works on Loren

The next day Jake, Matthew and Hank came back into Colorado Springs. The first place they went to was the clinic. Horace, Grace, Dorothy, Robert E, and Sully were all in the clinic talking about what to do about the doctor situation. When they walked in, the group looked up at them. Dorothy walked into Loren's room because he was moaning.

"Did you find the men who hurt Loren and Brian?" Horace asked them.

"Yeah, we did." Hank said defeated.

"We met them in another town; they were arrested there because they broke into store there too." Matthew explained.

"At least they aren't on the streets anymore." Sully said.

"But we still didn't catch them." Hank stated. Dorothy ran out of Loren's room.

"Loren is losing a lot of blood. I thought I was able to stop it yesterday, but he's losing even more today. If somebody could get the bullet out he wouldn't bleed as badly." Dorothy said. She looked up at Jake. "Jake? Can you help us?"

"Well, he would have to be moved to the barbershop." Jake started to say.

"Jake! He can't be moved across the street. What are you thinking about?" Dorothy asked.

"Okay, we'll do it here." Jake mumbled. "I guess."

"Good." Dorothy replied. Sully and Robert E. went into his room and picked up Loren to put him on Michaela's operating table.

"I just have to go get my supplies." Jake said.

"Michaela's medical tools are still here." Sully stated. Jake looked at Sully.

"I'm not a doctor Sully; I will use my own scissors and stuff." Jake replied and walked out of the clinic.

"Okay, what else are we supposed to do?" Horace asked. Sully looked at him.

"I have helped Michaela a few times; I know that a lot of people shouldn't be in here." Sully replied.

"Robert E and I will go." Grace said. She and Robert E walked out of the clinic. "I hope you guys figure out what you're going to do about the doctor situation." Grace closed the door behind her.

"So do we." Sully replied.

"I'm going to go sit with Brian." Matthew said and he walked out of the room.

"Come on Myra let's go. They don't need us in here." Horace stated. They closed the door behind them. Dorothy looked at Sully.

"I'm going to assist Jake with Loren." Dorothy said.

"Dorothy, I don't think that's the best idea." Sully replied. Dorothy took a deep breath.

"Sully, Loren is my brother in law. I want to be here for him." Dorothy responded.

"Okay, if you insist." Sully said. He walked into Brian's room with Matthew.

[

Horace was back at the telegraph office when he got the brilliant idea. Colorado Springs needed a doctor. Dr. Mike was in Indiana, but her daughter and assistant, Colleen Cooper, was in Denver. She could take the train home; help Brian and Loren and be back to school before the weekend was over. Being the telegraph officer helped him be secretive because he wouldn't have to tell anybody. He sat in his chair, slid over to the telegraph machine and sent the telegram to Denver College in care of Colleen Cooper. It was perfect. If Colleen could come take care of her brother and Loren, they wouldn't have to bother another doctor. She wants to be a doctor; it'll be the same right? She has assisted Doctor Mike in the clinic since she was thirteen years old.

[

It was tense in the clinic. Jake was trying very carefully to take the bullet out of Loren's neck. Dorothy sat there practically not even taking a breath while Jake worked. Finally he got the bullet out of Loren and showed it to Dorothy.

"Can we stop the bleeding?" Dorothy asked.

"I can put stitches in it, but we will probably have to put a cloth on it, but I can't do anything more for him; and I know I can't help Brian." Jake said disappointed.

"At least we saved Loren. We can get the doctor to help poor Brian." Dorothy said. Jake used thread to close the wound on Loren's neck and Dorothy pressed a white cloth to his neck. For good measure, Jake put a little bit more chloroform on Loren's mouth to keep him out.


End file.
